Currently at 11 pages. The impression I've gotten is that most 6D users are pleasantly surprised at the quality they are getting and see only a few drawbacks. Most have done their own cost-benefit analysis and concluded the extra cost of the 5DIII could not be justified for them.

Pros:Wonderful pictures, especially in terms of pixel-level detail, color, and print resolution.Practically no noise up to ISO 1600.Excellent noise characteristics at very high ISO, giving a fine film grain sort of look.GPS stamping on photos. Love that.Prime lenses become more spacious than on crop cameras.Solid but light. No problems carrying it in one hand for hours at a time.

Cons:Could really use more AF points.Have to wait for buffer to clear after about 15 shots in rapid succession.Very slow to focus with 100mm L macro (dunno if that's just me).Battery runs out overnight if you forget to turn GPS off.Telephoto lenses have much less reach than on crop cameras.

If you need extreme low-light performance but you don't need top-of-the-line autofocus then the 6D is probably the best camera you can get.

Pros:Incredible full frame IQEasily usable images at ISO 12800Center focus point is quick, accurate, and works even when there's no light (other points work great, but in good light only)Build quality is excellentWi-fi and GPS if you're into that (I'm not, but I did try them both and they work great)

Search my comments on the 6D. I feel I have covered it pretty well, as has of course Dustin (many of my comments are in his thread, but there are quite a few other threads). I've compared and edited the 6D's files with the 5D3's and the 1DX's...and have over 8000 cycles on my 6D.

Basically there are people on here who seem to feel the need to bash the 6D because it's not the 5D3, hence the 5D3 is what they bought. So to them, if you use a 6D, you aren't as serious a photographer as they are, no matter what type of photography you do. They aren't hard to spot.

It's not so much that the 6D needs "more" autofocus points...it's that they should all be "cross type". Honestly an AF sensor similar or identical to the 7D's would have been nice. But that would have put the price, and especially the performance...too close to the 5D3...and thus would create a competing product line...which was never going to happen.

Barring the above, I feel Canon should at least update the firmware or whatever runs the autofocus sensor/system's processing...to make it "handoff" to the center point, when all points are active...rather than avoid it...since the center point is the only really good point. (This is the nature of the problem mine has when I attempt to make its servo tracking **** up.) But it's something I am happy to live with though, because I know how to make the system work perfectly fine (by leaving only center point active while in servo mode).

Then there's supposedly an issue with its color, or white balance, or color gamut...or whatever...to me this seems more like a trumped-up nitpicking session by those who are prejudiced against the 6D. The color is fantastic, period. The luminance noise at the pixel level is world class, especially above ISO 1000.

As for the weather sealing, there is some, but not much. The 6D is not technically "splash proof". I suppose it's also less impervious to dust...but if you're shooting in a very dusty environment...dust will find its way into everything even on the best sealed cameras. What makes me cringe the most about dust, is when it gets inside and in between the lens elements. There's no cleaning that without disassembly, usually by a Canon tech.

In my opinion, if you value "low-noise-at-medium-high-ISO" image quality and are price-conscious...the 6D is a no-brainer. But if you don't mind a slightly larger/heavier body...if you need loads of speed (comparatively) and all the bells and whistles, and are happy to throw down the 50% price premium...and don't mind the large luminance noise grain structure in the images above ISO 1000...and/or if you mostly need to shoot a lot of video, especially ML hacked RAW video...then the 5D3 is the no-brainer. For many, buying both cameras has also worked out well.

canon rumors FORUM

I'm using a battery grip with two batteries, and I change them out every couple of weeks of light shooting.

Well that's the difference, then. When I spend all day making photographs and put the camera away with GPS on, the single battery is dead the next day. Yes, it's happened more than once. Yes, it's my own fault.

I can now testify, that the 6D body has proven to be absolutely robust and solid.This is based on a nightmare type of experience (could also be reported in the post about 'dont ever do this'):I was setting up in my basement for a special shoot in the garden using a Canon 24 mm TS/E and tripod. The camera with the TS/E was mounted on the tripod at about 4 feet above the concrete floor. Then I moved the column of the tripod to a horisontal position (my Manfrotto tripod allows that) and turned around to fix someting else. Then a heard a gruelling crash. The tripod had tipped over, and the camera hit the floor. Stupid me overlooking that the center of gravity had shifted slightly outside the support of the tripod.Examining the camera and optics, I noted that the whole setup had landed on the upper right corner of the body, and there were marks from the impact on the floor as well as on the 6D body. No dents - only paint-scrapes. The lens did not show any marks, so the camera took the full blow.With shaking hands I examined the camera further, the lens, the mount etc. Nothing visibly affected. Then testing the function of both - all seem to work perfectly well and normal. And they still do. Even focus as well as image sharpness over the whole image seems to be unaffected.

Conclusions:1. Now I have tried it - so you don't have to do it yourselves. 2. The 6D body - including the upper part which is said to be made from some sturdy plastic material - is rock solid3. The 24 TS/E did well, too. 4. Considering the weight of this lens, the mount between lens and body stood the test as well.5. The laws of Newton even applies for FF bodies - and for TS/E lenses. (although I am sure he did not consider that specifically). So I will not challenge those laws any further.

If you have any suggestions for what to test further - and how - to verify that the equipment is actually not affected in any way, please suggest these to me.

PS: As to the other virtues of the 6D I have posted my (less gruelling) experiences in other posts - I guess all of these are linked above.

« Last Edit: August 30, 2013, 03:10:45 PM by PKinDenmark »

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Enjoying photography very much - and that includes the technicalities as well as the planning, shooting and post-processing. Equipment is centered around a Canon 6D.